Funding Would Aim to Develop New Antibiotics and Preserve Effectiveness of Existing Drugs Amid Widespread Overuse

The White House is proposing to spend more than $1.2 billion to develop new antibiotics and preserve existing ones as the widespread overuse of disease-fighting drugs threatens their effectiveness in humans.

Calling the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria “one of the most pressing public health issues facing the world today,” the White House said Tuesday it would propose higher funding levels when it unveiled its budget plan for 2016, expected in early February.